Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
by Speedstergal
Summary: Hermione decides to dump her boyfriend in order to get another guy. But the boy she wants had already stomped all over her heart. Will she risk it and tell him how she feels? She's terrified of his reaction, but as they, nothing ventured, nothing gaine


**A/N- I'm actually going through something like this, and I needed a way to vent out all of my feelings so I decided to write this. This is a one-shot story **

**ENJOY!!  
  
Speedstergal : )  
**  
Hermione walked as slow as she could to the Great Hall, she had a tedious task ahead of her, and she wasn't in any hurry to find him.

"Hermione!" The voice she was dreading broke through her thoughts like a rock through glass. She slowly turned around to face the young man she was about to hurt.

"Oh, um, hi Ron." She said hesitantly.

"Hey! I was wondering, after classes today, if you wanted to go down to the lake and talk or something?" He asked, his eyes dancing. He was so happy and she was about to ruin everything.

The more she looked at him, his fiery red hair, his bright blue eyes, the way his whole face lit up when he smiled, the more she began to rethink her plan. Maybe she shouldn't. Perhaps she could stick it out a little longer, breaking up with Ron would put six years of friendship down the drain. But now that she thought about it, going out with Ron, was bound to ruin their friendship anyway. Well maybe not ruin it, but it certainly wouldn't ever be the same.

She sighed as she remembered exactly why she was breaking up with Ron. Another guy. She'd thought that she was over him. They'd tried to go out a couple of months back and another girl intervened. The girl took him away from her. She thought she'd never forgive him, but time passed, and she began going out with Ron and slowly letting the boy she'd never thought she could live without, drift away. Until, finally, she thought he was completely gone from her romantic thoughts. She thought he was once again her best friend, just like he'd been when they were younger. But she was wrong, dead wrong.

Harry began, flirting; I guess you could say, again. He was acting exactly the way he did when he liked her. Of course, this unearthed feelings Hermione had spent so long burying. But the situation was different. Hermione wasn't single and she was timid, afraid that he'd leave her hanging again, like a dog waiting for adoption...and it never happening. If he did it to her again, she'd be like the dog, she'd be put to sleep, thinking no one wanted, nor loved her. Hermione didn't want to be hurt again, she didn't want to feel the same pain and anger that surged through her veins only a couple of months before. It was a terrible and awesome feeling, one that she had no desire to feel again.

Against her conscience she turned towards Ron and said, "Ron, I think that we need to talk." She had to choose her words wisely; she wanted to let him down as easily as possible.

"Ok." He answered brightly. He was just happy to be with her. Ron was just too naïve for her. He had no idea how to handle a girlfriend and was about as outgoing as a bunny.

They both walked out into the bright sunlight and began descending towards the lake. As they walked in silence Hermione racked her brain for something good to say, but she had nothing. She'd never dumped a boyfriend before and hadn't the slightest idea on how to do it. So she decided to wing it.

"Listen, Ron I think that maybe," Her words came out slow as she carefully picked out each of them, "we should rethink our relationship..."

"Ok." A tinge of concern (Or was it fear?) entered Ron's voice.

"Uh, what does that exactly mean?" Ron was now extremely confused, was Hermione trying to tell him something? Was she trying to break up with him? And then it hit him, like a car colliding into a brick wall. She didn't like him any more. Either that or she was playing an awfully harsh trick on him. A small voice in his head, however was telling him that this wasn't any cruel prank.

"What I mean Ron is that perhaps we should break up. This is awfully hard for me. It's just that I miss our friendship. It hasn't been the same since we started going. I realized that I love you like a brother. And I think you may be mistaking your love for me as well. Ron we were meant to be together, as best friends. I'm, I'm sorry, I wish it didn't have to end this way, but it had to happen, before someone really got hurt. I'm sorry."

Ron stood there, dumbfounded. He knew that she was going to have to do it sooner or later, but to be quite honest he didn't think it would be sooner than later. He had visions of them going out till graduation, finding an apartment with Harry and much to his own surprise, getting married. He thought he truly love her. But to make a relationship work, you need two people who both loved each other. And if Hermione didn't love him the way he loved her, then he didn't want her.

Well, he did want her, but he also wanted the best for her, and if Hermione wasn't content with him, then he wanted her to find someone that would make her feel unbelievably happy and giddy as she did to him. "Ok, I understand, I think. You're right Hermione, we're better off as best friends."

Hermione looked incredibly relieved. "Oh my gosh thank you Ron for understanding!" She threw her arms around him, planted a quick kiss on his cheek and then started running back up to the castle. "You'd better hurry, we only have five minutes till class begins!" She called, glancing back at his form. Ron found it hard to believe that she was so happy after what she had just done. But he kept reminding himself, that she broke up with him, she didn't want to be with him. So technically she would be happy about escaping from the clutches of a relationship, especially with a guy she didn't want.  
  
Hermione sprinted down the corridor leading to the Transfiguration classroom. Now all she needed to do was tell Harry how she felt, she needed to be different though. She'd noticed that Harry likes the sexy, outgoing girls, not the innocent, reserved girls, like Hermione. So she needed to figure out away to catch his interest by being vivacious and seductive, or something along those lines.

Hermione was rudely shaken out of her thoughts when she ran straight into something rather hard, and found herself lying on the cold hard cobblestone floor.

"Hermione! Are you ok?" A perturbed voice asked. Hermione glanced up to find herself staring straight into a set of gorgeous emerald eyes.

"Oh! Harry, sorry I wasn't watching where I was going." "Obviously." He answered snickering, Hermione turned crimson. Harry offered her his hand. The minute she took it she felt a jolt of electricity pulse through her arm. She stood up and brushed herself off. Harry began walking towards the classroom when Hermione grabbed his arm.

"Wait." Harry turned back around to face Hermione.

"Yeah?"

"Um, listen Harry," This is when she had to do it. She had to snag him. It was now or never. Sure she was terrified that he would once again rip her heart out and tread all over it, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. "Harry, I've wanted you for I don't know how long. When you went out with Cho...I was heartbroken. But now that she's out of the picture, I'm not going to let you slip away from me again. Harry I need you. I think I may...I may be..."

She wasn't able to finish her sentence because Harry had wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a sweet kiss. His lips where soft and he smelled of light herbs and cedar wood, he was intoxicating. Hermione melted right in to him. This was where she belonged, in his arms.

When they pulled apart, (Reluctantly, but class was beginning) Harry looked down at Hermione tenderly and spoke softly, "In love?"  
  
**A/N-It's a tad bit fluffier then I wanted it to be, but I couldn't resist. I just hope this is how my little problem works out as well. Anyway, I know you guys are probably saying, "Oh! Poor Ron, what about him?" Well this is what happened to my ex boyfriend. He was kind of forgotten, you know? And that's what I tried to show you guys in this story. This is just a one-shot type thing, because I have no other ideas for it. I just wrote it because I needed the counseling. Writing will do that for you eh? Well, please review, if you want to. Thanks!! Speedstergal : )**


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